


Then and Now

by PartridgeOnAPearTree



Series: NSFW Bedi-tober Challenge [7]
Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mutual Pining, Omega Verse, Rain Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:21:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26933509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PartridgeOnAPearTree/pseuds/PartridgeOnAPearTree
Summary: NSFW Bedi-tober Day 7: A/B/OArthur is an alpha; Bedivere is an omega. Good.Arthur is a king; Bedivere is not a noble. Not good.Arthur knows about his duties and responsibilities as the king, but he just wishes that they can still be together.
Relationships: Bedivere | Saber/Arthur Pendragon | Saber
Series: NSFW Bedi-tober Challenge [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952083
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	Then and Now

**Author's Note:**

> it's my first time writing an actual a/b/o fic (i once churned out a 600-word ficlet for a friend, but it hardly counts with that length, you know)  
> i feel i didn't write it as animalistic as it should be (lol) but i hope it's still enjoyable. for one, i really had fun exploring arthur and bedi's relationship here.  
> it's also my first (finished) bedithur fic that doesn't involve another ship, so i'm glad about that too!
> 
> just between you and me, i have other bedithur fics but they're forever stuck in wip hell in my hard drive. it's sad, but i hope that one day they get to see the sun.

Arthur is meant to be the king, and being a king meant picking a healthy noble omega to marry. It doesn’t matter whether or not he loves them. The main point of the union will be to produce a strong heir who will then inherit the throne.

He knows this.

\--

Arthur used to wander around with Merlin and his brother, Kay. That was one of his ways to get experience. Merlin believed that it’s better for him to travel around now and witness people living their lives while not yet being a king. Not only would it make blending in easier, but people would also most likely behave naturally around him, too.

It was a nice feeling. Arthur, in all honesty, fantasizes of being back in that journey here and there. It was the time he would say he was the closest to the people—

“My king, we have returned.” Sir Bedivere arrives with a bow. His armor and clothes were slightly filthy, but he still carried herself as properly as always. Even his hair that was not as kempt as the usual did nothing to ruin how he looks. Despite everything, he's still as beautiful as he always is.

“You and your men have worked hard, Sir Bedivere.” Arthur says with a slight nod. “Please take your well-deserved rest.”

He smiles and nods as well. “Thank you, my king.”

—And it was also when he was the closest to himself.

\--

“So what did you learn today?” Merlin asks Arthur with a smile. Her tone sounded exaggeratedly doting like how one would talk to a child.

He rolls his eyes and gets up from the ground on which they sit. They’ve started a fire to keep themselves warm from the cold night air. Arthur has spent the day searching for a specific type of flower only for Merlin to reveal near evening that she was hiding it on herself. Afterwards, she handed him the flower, saying it’s for him. She said that she wanted to witness what kind of thought process he would have when in search for something. It was no different from an impromptu test, she said with a smile.

He understands the point. Maybe. But he's still a bit irritated with her.

“I learned today that your mischief knows no bounds.”

Merlin chuckles. “Now, now, it wouldn’t have been fun otherwise! Besides, I did see what I want to see. You're the type of person who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. That’s the kind of king that Camelot deserves. Camelot will surely benefit once you assume the throne.”

“Buttering me up won’t suddenly get me less upset, you know.” He shakes his head. “I'm going to go for a walk. I want to try experiencing this place without the panic of earlier.”

“Sure, sure.” She smiles. “Enjoy your night, Arthur.”

So he walks away. This place really was nice. It’s something that he did notice even when he was preoccupied with his search earlier. There were a lot of trees, keeping the place generally cool even during the morning. Flowers were everywhere too. He remembers that Merlin herself was happy viewing them.

They're camping in the forest tonight. He walks away from their chosen spot, remembering a small lake that he saw earlier. He wants to wash his face because he feels a bit filthy running around and sweating the whole day. Not only that, he remembers seeing a spot earlier where there are trees around but there's a small portion where the tree leaves part just right so that they won’t block the sky.

He's thinking maybe he can lie down a bit and look at the stars.

He only realizes now that he's walking that he underestimated the distance between the place they chose to camp and the lake he had in mind. Right now, he's alone in the dark forest, guided only by the moonlight that peeks through the leaves. He decides that it’s safer to just go back.

And then he hears a sob.

He had to pause and listen for a little longer to make sure that he's hearing correctly.

And he really was. It was a sob, shortly followed by sniffles and more sobs. He doesn’t know if it’s just his human curiosity or his desire to help, but he listens carefully so that he can track where it comes from. Funnily enough, the direction that he takes is what he would have taken had he decided to go back to the lake anyway.

Soon, he does find the lake again.

And it seems relatively brighter in this area because he sees the source of the sobs clearly.

Arthur couldn’t believe it at first. There sits the most beautiful person that he has ever seen. The person was sitting under a tree next to the pond, arms wrapped around his legs, tears making his eyes glisten. They just stare at each other like that. For a good moment there, Arthur really did forget how to think.

He only remembers the situation when the person wipes his tears and talks, “…What are you doing at a place like this at this hour?”

It was a soothing voice. Deep without being imposing. Arthur had to blink a couple of times before he remembers how to speak. “I heard you cry, so… Are you doing okay? Why are _you_ here at this hour?”

“I'm always here whenever I'm sad, so I'm very familiar with this place. I haven’t seen you before, though. It can get scary at night, so you should go.”

“It’s okay. I don’t want to leave you alone when you were crying.” Arthur walks towards him and sits beside him. “What's your name?”

The stranger was visibly surprised. He had to blink a couple of times too just like Arthur earlier. “I'm Bedivere… and you are?”

“I'm Arthur.” Arthur smiles. “Can you tell me why you were crying, Bedivere?”

\--

“It doesn’t sound like a particularly difficult mission.” Merlin hums as she toys with an apple using her fingers. “Just two people at most, I think. Retrieve the princess who was trapped in a place in the middle of the sea. Fight the enemies, if any, and it’s even unlikely that there are because the villain already lost interest in her after claiming the ransom and just happened to have no decency to return her. Total travel time including returning to Camelot is just three days at most. Sounds straightforward enough, right?”

“Yes. It works well. The other knights still haven’t returned from their own respective missions. It’s only Sir Bedivere and I here, so…”

“Ah, if I could interject—” Bedivere interrupts. “I can just take a lower-ranking knight with me if that’s the case, my king. You need not bother yourself.”

“The king insists.” Merlin replies before he could respond. “It would be an extreme relationship boost if the king personally rescues a princess. I assume her kingdom will forever be indebted to you, King Arthur. Besides, it’s about time you think of looking for noble omegas to marry. I heard that this particular princess is quite beautiful. She should bless you with beautiful children.”

“R-Right…” Bedivere looks down. “I'm sorry for acting like I know better, my king. Merlin’s right. This should help you and Camelot greatly.”

“Well, prepare your things for a three-day journey, Sir Bedivere. I'm still taking you with me. It’s better to have assistance for the unexpected even if it sounded like a simple mission.”

Bedivere nods. “Of course, my king.”

\--

Bedivere looked hesitant about telling a complete stranger about his troubles, but soon enough, after mulling it over for a few minutes, he talks. “…Don’t laugh, but I’ve always wanted to be a knight.”

“Why would I laugh about that?”

“Because there's nothing about me that shows that I’ll do well as a knight, right? I don’t look tough or strong. I'm tall, but I don’t look intimidating at all. If an opponent sees me, they’ll just laugh at me, I'm sure of it.”

“What? No. You don’t have to look intimidating to be a knight. If anything, aren’t you supposed to look approachable so that the people can count on you?”

“I guess that’s true, but knights do a lot of battling, too. How can I defend the people if I'm not intimidating?”

“You don’t have to intimidate your opponents. Won’t it be better if they let their guards down in front of you and then you can just strike them down when they don’t expect it?”

“I guess that can work...” Bedivere seems to think it over before realizing something. “But still, this doesn’t change my other weaknesses. I'm not tough or strong at all. And since I don’t even look like I could play that part, no sane noble would take a chance on me.”

“That’s not true. A good king would know to search beyond your looks. Besides, it’s okay if you're weak right now. That kind of thing can be trained. As long as you have loyalty and dedication, any king would be glad to have you.”

Bedivere blushes. Even under just the moonlight, it’s quite visible. “Oh, I'm not dreaming of being personally handpicked by a king… I just imagined myself joining as a lower-ranking knight-in-training. And if I manage to excel somehow to get given bigger tasks, then that’d be good.”

“You'll never know.”

“Well, I don’t see any scenario that makes it possible for a king to notice me.” Bedivere sighs. “But anyway, it’s even worse now. Just recently, I presented as an omega. My brother and I had an argument about it, so I ran here like I always do.”

“What did you argue about?”

“He thinks that I should give up on being a knight and just focus on being someone who can please my alpha someday. He's never approved of me being a knight, and now, even more so when we found out that I'm an omega.”

“I don’t think your dynamic should determine what you can do with your life.”

Bedivere leans his chin on his knees, looking disheartened again. “I don’t know… Maybe he's right. I escaped here because I didn’t know what to say anymore, but I think he might be really right. He told me that there's no place for an omega in a battle, and he brought up good points. If I'm in heat, I can’t be fielded. If I go into heat during a battle, that will just be bad news. I shudder to even think about it.”

“I’m really close companions with a magician. I know she can help you suppress your heats. She even changes her dynamic at will, although maybe that part is because she's part-succubus, but… either way, if it’s her, I have a feeling she can help you!”

“E-Eh? Magician? Succubus? Your companion…?” Bedivere had his eyebrows furrowed. “You're teasing me, aren’t you…?”

“Of course not. I'm confident that she can help.”

“Would she be willing to help me? I'm just a complete stranger, after all.” He pauses for a while. “Right… Why would _you_ even help me? I think I'm bothering you. I'm so sorry.”

“No, you're not. I was the one who chose to join you here.”

“Even if you're really friends with someone who can do that, I can’t really repay you…”

“But I don’t need compensation.” When Arthur says that, Bedivere looks up from the ground to meet his eyes. Arthur smiles. “I just want to make you smile. That’s more than enough.”

Bedivere blushes again. “But why? You don’t even know me.”

“That’s okay. Do I have to know you to want to see you smile?”

“You're far too kind… I really wish I could do something for—A-Ah, stand back!”

Bedivere is suddenly on his feet. He quickly grabs a branch on the ground and points it to something. Arthur follows his eyes to see what he's suddenly alert for.

“Don’t move!” Bedivere turns to him momentarily. “I think you might be not from here because I’ve never seen you before, but that type of poisonous snake is common around here. I think it will likely come after you because you kind of, ah, s-smell like flowers, and it likes flowers… but it hates erratically moving things, so I’ll go jump and run while you escape!”

Bedivere is obviously terrified. His arm is trembling very badly as he points the stick to the snake. “W-What are you doing? Hurry and escape!”

Arthur shakes his head and smiles. “…You're too beautiful and too brave. Any king would be happy to have you as their knight.”

“What are you talking about…” Bedivere already looks like he's about to tear up as the snake starts to slither near them. “Please just run! As I said, they're poisonous!”

Arthur takes the flower that he spent the entire day to search for and tosses it at the snake. The snake’s interest was piqued, and it immediately stops with its approach.

Bedivere seemed surprised as Arthur grabs his hand and says, “Let’s go!”

\--

It’s been a while since Arthur and Bedivere could be alone by themselves.

Bedivere was his first knight, but the moment he got started, the rest followed too quickly. Too quickly, there was no more time to hang out with each other just the two of them. Too quickly, the Round Table is growing, and so is King Arthur’s fame. Too quickly, things to do don’t run out, and there's never time to rest.

“It’s been a while since we went on a quest just us two, my king.” Bedivere says as if reading his mind. “I’ll do my best to be not on your way especially if you need to bond with the princess. I was thinking maybe you two can talk the entire trip from the location until back to Camelot.”

“Why?”

Bedivere seemed surprised with the question. “Weren’t you looking for a prospective match? Merlin earlier said…”

“Do you think that I should already be looking for a match?”

“Oh, um… Getting a match will definitely earn Camelot a firm alliance if you pick a noble, that’s for sure. And having an heir early means more time to train him and possibly have him join our ranks, so…”

Britain is doomed to fall.

“Hmm, I suppose that’s true.” But Bedivere doesn’t know that nor does he need to. So Arthur just gives a nod. There wasn’t a point to producing an heir or planning for the future aside from maintaining normalcy for as long as Britain is allowed to survive. Of course, he wants to do everything he can to make sure Britain won’t fall, but bringing in a life into this world when fate is against him makes him more anxious than usual about it.

“…Do you not have anyone in mind?”

“I do.”

“…Oh. You should talk to them, my king!”

“I already am.”

\--

Arthur and Bedivere found a river deeper into the forest and opted to stay at its edge instead after the encounter with the snake. They sat by the rocks that kept their bodies dry but allowed their feet to reach the water. Arthur only remembers to let go of his hand when they were already nicely seated.

“Why were you keeping a flower inside your pocket?” Bedivere asks in between pants. He must not be used to running around like that, but that’s fine. That kind of thing can be trained. Bedivere’s willingness to do the brave thing earlier despite his fear is more admirable than any big, intimidating, strong knight. Even if they’ve already known each other tonight, Arthur knows that he already wants Bedivere to join him.

“The companion that I mentioned—the one whom I said can help you—gave it to me.” He decides to omit the whole thing about searching for it the entire day.

“Is the companion really real? You're not joking?”

“Of course not. Why would I trick you?”

“I suppose that’s true…”

“But let’s not think about her for now. I’d really like to get to know you better. Would it be okay if we talk about ourselves?”

“Really? There's nothing really interesting to talk about regarding me. But maybe you can tell me about yourself. You're not from here, are you?”

“But I want to hear about you, too. What if we take turns saying a question, then we’ll both answer each question?”

“Mmm, okay. I have a question already.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t you have companions that might come look for you? It’s late, you know.”

“No, the magician I mentioned can find me whenever she wants, so there's nothing to worry about. How about you?”

“Well, I’ll be honest, I’ve been gone longer than I usually am, so maybe my brother will worry, but…” Bedivere smiles sheepishly. “You’re right. I really want to know you better, too.”

\--

“Merlin, I need your help.”

“Of course, my king. Your wish will always be my command.”

\--

After three days and a half, when Arthur and Bedivere reach the place that was said to contain the kidnapped princess, the place was completely empty.

It was a small house in a small island, and the only thing they found that proves that the princess was ever here was a note which says, ‘ _The princess is in another island. Try again._ ’ They still made sure to search what they could in the island just in case the note was a lie, but they really couldn’t find her, much less anyone.

By the time they have decided that this mission has failed and it’s wiser to just return to Camelot, a huge storm has already begun, making leaving through water unsafe.

\--

“You what?” Bedivere chuckles. During that conversation, the first time Arthur saw and heard Bedivere chuckle, he found himself staring with his cheeks warm. His chuckles sounded even better than the magical lute Arthur heard once in Merlin’s workshop. “I can’t believe it. Spending the day as a fish!”

“Well, it effectively taught me not to go inside Merlin’s workshop uninvited ever again.” Arthur manages to find his words, but the warmth in his face never went away.

Bedivere keeps chuckling. “It sounds that way. You have so many interesting experiences. I feel bad. I can’t even share anything.”

“It’s okay, I think what you shared to me was plenty interesting, too. I never met someone who liked vegetables to that extent.”

“I just like them a lot.”

“Once I become king, I’ll come back and take you as my first knight.” The moment the words escaped Arthur’s lips, he realizes that his brain didn’t bother to think about what he said. They just came out because of his unfiltered, selfish, and honest wishes. He was about to dismiss it as a joke because he _was_ supposed to be undercover, but when he sees Bedivere’s honest and curious face, he keeps his mouth shut.

“I’ll be really honored, but… If you're only going to pick me because I whined earlier about never becoming a knight, I don’t want you to go through with it. I don’t want to compel you to do something you don’t really want.”

“But I do want to.” He allows himself to be bold enough and hold Bedivere’s hand. Bedivere didn’t even question what he's talking about. “You're far braver than anyone whom you will consider as brave. You may think that being scared is bad, but I think the fact that you're scared but still choose to do what you think should be done makes you far better.”

“Oh, you treat me too well…”

“I mean it. I’ll be a fool if I don’t want you by my side. I’ll come back. It’s a promise.”

\--

It’s raining hard.

Arthur and Bedivere have merely gotten lucky that this small house was still livable or else they wouldn’t have anywhere to stay. There was bread in the kitchen, but it looks like it can only last a few days at most. If this is truly where the princess was forced to live, she must have had a really uncomfortable time. There was no bed in the small house, just a blanket laid down on the floor on one side of the house with pillows on it. The well—the only water source that they could find—can be seen from the house but isn’t near enough for emergencies.

“…I hope the storm calms down soon.” Bedivere nervously says for the third time tonight.

Arthur is on the makeshift bed while Bedivere is choosing to rest on a chair that’s too far from Arthur for his liking. He says that he will remain awake to keep watch of Arthur in case something happens. The weather is too bad, though, and Arthur has trouble imagining that anyone will ever come to attack them like this.

“You should rest, Bedivere. I'm sure nothing will happen.” Arthur says, also for the third time tonight.

“I’ll be fine right here, my king. You should take your well-deserved rest. I’ll keep you safe while you sleep.”

“I won’t be able to sleep knowing that you're working yourself to the bone like this.”

“Please don’t worry about me. I'm your knight. It’s just right that I'm serving you.”

Arthur tries to sleep, but he really can’t.

All he could think of is Bedivere being in the same room as him.

\--

“You really came back… Arthur—no. _King_ Arthur. Your Majesty.” Bedivere bows.

Arthur smiles. This isn’t anything to be sad about. He's happy about being reunited. So why is it that it kind of hurts watching him bow like that and calling him with such respect?

\--

“…T-This is really bad.” Bedivere says. He seems nervous about something. Arthur wonders why considering that they managed to have an hour of no rain earlier where they got to hunt for animals to eat and pick edible fruits, so if Arthur were to be frank, aside from possibly worrying the people back in the kingdom to death, he's not really worried about having to stay here longer.

The storm doesn’t seem like it will calm down anytime soon, and they’ve already been here for a week.

“What's wrong?”

“Ah… I'm so sorry, my king. I-I need to leave. Let me stay outside.” Bedivere was already walking to the door.

“What? It’s raining so hard.” Arthur follows him and places a hand on his arm. He immediately lets go when he feels how hot Bedivere’s skin was.

And then that’s when he smells that sweet, pervasive scent that suddenly is all his brain can register.

“Oh. _Bedivere_.”

“I-I'm so sorry, this is my fault, I thought we’d be back soon—”

Arthur embraces Bedivere tightly. Bedivere lets out a short surprised yelp, but he leans into the embrace. Arthur nuzzles his nose on the crook of Bedivere’s neck, and Bedivere is doing the same to him. He's wanted this for so long. To feel Bedivere’s warmth and to touch him so intimately. He never thought that he’d get to do that in a situation like this.

He’ll be honest—he did fantasize of this. Bedivere is an omega, and Arthur is an alpha. Sometimes, when he's feeling self-indulgent enough, he lies down on his best and does nothing but imagine being Bedivere’s mate. They’d get married, and Bedivere would be Britain’s other king, the one to bring him an heir. As Bedivere’s mate, it will be him who aids Bedivere during his heat, and they’ll do nothing but make love while it lasts.

“Shh… Don’t apologize. It’s okay. It’s okay.” Back to reality, Arthur notices that he's trembling. Both of them are. Bedivere is desperately clinging onto him, and he wants to keep doing that too, but instead, he forces himself to bring the two of them onto the makeshift bed that he's been using this week.

Bedivere lies on the bed on his back, and Arthur immediately kisses him. Bedivere’s tongue is so hot just like the rest of his body. Arthur kept him on the bed by straddling him, and right now, as they kiss in this sort of position, there's nothing else in his mind but ‘ _mine, mine, mine. I’ll end anyone who dares step foot in here right now._ ’

Bedivere started grinding their hips together, all the while softly whining. Arthur finds himself moaning in between the kisses too. Each time their tongues wrestle against each other, he feels his brain turning into mush. He's holding him so tightly, and he would wonder if he's hurting Bedivere, but all he could really focus on right now is the warmth of Bedivere’s tongue and the way their hips are grinding against each other.

They undressed each other like their clothes were garbage that desperately needs to be disposed. They just tossed it to wherever they could, and the next thing Arthur knows is that their bare skin is aimlessly rubbing against each other. The entirety of Bedivere’s body is burning. He sees that now. And Bedivere smells so sweet, it’s the sweetest scent that he has ever had the pleasure of smelling, unrivaled even by the best and rarest flowers that he has found before.

“…Bedivere.” Arthur purrs out his name. He's desperately trying to get closer by burrowing his head on his neck, by rubbing their skins together, but it never feels enough. He wants to get even closer, and he doesn’t know how. He's trembling because he doesn’t know how. “Y-You smell so good.”

“My king… my king, my king, my king.” Bedivere pretty much whines out his words. He desperately lifts his hips. His cock is hard and dripping, not unlike the state of Arthur’s right now. “Ahhh… I want you. I want you. My king. Ah, please, I'm begging, I'm begging—”

Arthur meets his lips again. He wants to memorize how he tastes. He wants to memorize how he smells. And he wants no one else to be in his place right now. “I want you too, Bedivere. I want you… I always have.”

“Please, please,” Bedivere is tearing up. “I want your cock. Please. I want to breed with you. Please, please, please. I beg you. I can’t take it anymore.”

Arthur touches Bedivere’s entrance with his fingers, and it’s drenched with slick. His fingers slide in too easily. Bedivere sobs when he puts in his fingers. “S-Stop. I don’t want that. I don’t need it. Please, just breed me. Please. It’s so hot, I'm burning.”

Arthur takes out his fingers and positions his cock on Bedivere’s entrance. Bedivere whines some more, and Arthur thrusts inside. It slides in so easily. When it does, Arthur’s brain just stops working. He started thrusting in immediately fast, his hands firmly grabbing Bedivere’s hips.

“I-I wanted you for so long.” Arthur growls against his ear. Each thrust he makes, Bedivere moans. And each moan Bedivere lets out, the harder he thrusts. “I want you. You're mine. I’ll make sure that you'll always be mine.”

“Y-Yes. Yes. Please. Please. I'm yours.”

He can loudly hear the sound of skin slapping against skin with each thrust despite the ongoing rage of the storm. Each thrust is as deep and as hard as he can manage. Each moan is as beautiful as they can ever be. Bedivere’s skin that repeatedly made in contact with his was already reddening, and all Arthur could think about is how he has to make more, leave more marks.

He starts thrusting faster than he already does. Bedivere is already sobbing and crying, but he's still moving his hips along with Arthur’s to try to get it even deeper and faster. The only words that his brain allows him to say are ‘ _yes, my king_ ’ over and over again in between his sobs.

Arthur meets his lips again. His tongue is even hotter than earlier, and he's drooling so much. Arthur happily laps it all up. Bedivere tastes so good. Bedivere smells so good. Bedivere feels so good. Bedivere is all he ever wanted, and he doesn’t want to be anywhere else but here right now.

“My king, my king.” Bedivere moans in between kisses. “Please… Inside me, please. Please.”

“Of course.” Arthur kisses his jaw and then sucks on his neck. He can feel himself nearing his climax. He can feel his knot increasing in size. And he can feel his body continuing to burn. Bedivere’s neck is littered with red marks due to his sucking, and he wants nothing else but to do more.

So he does.

He bites Bedivere’s neck as hard as he could. Bedivere sobs, and he comes at that instant. Arthur feels himself follow suit, and he growls again against Bedivere’s ear. He hugs Bedivere even firmer than he ever did.

For the first time these years, he felt true to himself again.

\--

“I’ll be extremely honest with you, Merlin.”

“Go on.”

“I'm not interested in finding a noble to marry.”

“I know.”

“The one that I—W-What?”

“I know.” Merlin had her usual serene but knowing smile. “I know who it is you're interested in.”

“Okay.” Arthur clears his throat. “That makes this easier. I need your help.”

“So you’ve said.”

“I want to be with him.”

“Well, you're the king. You have the power to do that if that’s what you wish. But do know that the people will judge whoever spouse you choose and will, without fail, find a way to make your choice say something about you as a king. I know that you respect his abilities—and I do, too—but people are already speculating that he's only in the Round Table because of your fondness for him. If you choose to marry him, you're pretty much confirming their suspicions that you can’t have it in you to remain impartial… and that’s only one issue.”

“I know people will also have something to say about the fact that he's not a noble.”

“Naturally. Not only will they accuse you of favoritism, but they’ll also think that you're selfishly prioritizing your own wishes over Camelot.”

“What can I do?”

“I can help by sending you both in a place that will prevent you two from leaving. I’ll time it around his heat. I know roughly when he's expected to have his heat because I'm the one who makes suppressant potions for him, after all.”

“Then won’t he just bring those potions with him?”

“Not when you or I confidently declare that you two will be back fast.”

“Where can you send us that will force us to stay there?”

“Does a small remote island accessible only by water travel sound good?”

“How can you force us to stay there?”

“I'm sure if I mess with enough fairies, I’ll be bound to find someone who can make it rain.”

“Well, how does doing this appease the people?”

“I don’t really know either, but at least, like this, you can act like you didn’t have a choice.”

“I feel like I'm tricking him and the people…”

“Don’t worry. I can cast a spell on you so that you'd forget about this conversation. Leave all the trickery to me.”

“You seem awfully calm about all this.”

Merlin smiles. “Well, I did help your father once with something similar.”

**Author's Note:**

> The next prompt is Cock and Ball Torture (lol) so come back if you're into that :)


End file.
